


Dreamchaser

by dracoqueen22



Series: Tethers [5]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Finding an Adventure, Fluff, Gen, Origins, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-10-01 00:53:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20456396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracoqueen22/pseuds/dracoqueen22
Summary: Nym’s never been one to focus on a single goal, but the call to adventure proves impossible to ignore.





	Dreamchaser

**Author's Note:**

> Nym has been drawn in all his glorious wonder by the fabulously talented EphDraws, which you can find here: https://ephdraws.tumblr.com/post/187336971422/ephdraws-here-is-the-piece-i-did-for-the

Rain.

It always rained in bloody Marbadan. Spring, summer, winter, fall, it didn't matter. Marbadan had more rainy days than sunny ones, and the whole city -- which gleamed in the sunshine -- was perpetually soggy and damp. Thank the gods their ancestors had the good sense to dig an expansive sewer system, otherwise the streets would always flood.

Nym didn't hate rain. He'd grown used to it, having lived every day of his life in the walls of Marbadan. He wasn't fond of it either. He was mostly indifferent.

Even when it dripped down past his collar, slithering chilly over his bare skin beneath his robes. Even when he had to jog through the roads, hunched to protect the precious items in his arms, because he'd forgotten once again to grab an umbrella. He dashed up the steps to The Arcane Collective and nearly burst through the doors before he remembered his decorum lessons, and skidded to a stop in the tiled entryway.

The doors clattered shut behind him. He didn't get but two steps before an abrupt and warm blast of arcane wind battered his body. He shut his eyes, grimacing, as the rainwater was blasted from his hair and his clothes, drying him quickly, but leaving his hair in stringy, unstyled clumps around his horns.

Damn.

The wind abandoned him. The arcane sigils beneath his feet dimmed from what had been a bright, purple glow. A simple drying enchantment, but monumental to maintaining the integrity of the Collective's, well, collection.

Nym straightened and caught his breath, untucking his armful of books to get a better grip on them. He swept his curls off his forehead as the bright lights of the Collective beamed down at him, chasing away the chill.

"Can I help you?" the middle-aged half-elf behind the main counter asked. She smiled at him, friendly and helpful, gesturing for him to come to her line.

"I just have these books to return." Nym grinned, and his boots clomped noisily across the tile as he dumped his stack on her desk. "And also, can you tell me if Lei's in Restricted. I want to borrow from her private collection."

Miranda, according to her name tag, took the first book from Nym's stack. "Lady Lei is in her office today, though I don't think she's inclined to loan out her collection."

"She will to her favorite brother." Nym's grin widened.

Blue eyes sparkled. "You're Nym!"

"I am."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm new, and we've never actually met." Miranda offered him a hand for a hearty shake. "Lady Lei did warn me you'd probably come by now and again."

"I am quite a pest," Nym said. He leaned against the counter, his tail flicking around behind him. "She loves me anyway."

Miranda chuckled. She kept grabbing his books, stamping them as returned. "I'm sure she does. You know where her office is, yes?"

"She'd have my horns if I forgot."

Miranda lifted a hand and waved him along. "I'll let her know you're coming then."

Nym tipped his head in thanks. "You're a doll. I'll have a basket sent your way." He winked and flounced off, past the massive desk which served to greet all visitors to The Collective.

"She warned me you were charming," Miranda called after him.

"Lei exaggerates," Nym threw back over his shoulder.

Beyond the desk, the Collective opened into a wide, expansive chamber. The ceiling was high above his head and plastered with a mosaic of stained glass to show several fantastical moments in history. Spiraling staircases led to higher levels, and long, dangling gemlights hung from the ceiling, cascading the book-covered walls in rainbow echoes.

Reading areas popped up in small clusters across the polished marble floor, broken up by free-standing bookshelves and the access points of the stairwells. Lavish couches and chairs and large pillows were scattered around, the areas lined with lush rugs for the comfort of visiting readers. Servers drifted around, carrying trays of light foods and drinks which wouldn't damage the valuable reading materials.

Lei's office was on the third floor, so Nym grabbed the nearest iron staircase and started up it on a jog. Magically dampened, the stair didn't so much as rattle despite his heavy tread. Gods, but he loved magic.

He passed through the second floor, glimpsing briefly the narrower section of priceless artworks and sculptures on display, and the few random strangers perusing it. Nym didn't spend much time on that particular level. Art was boring to him. He didn't understand the appeal of just looking at it. Interaction, he thought, was far more interesting.

Nym departed the staircase on the third floor, striding across the wrought iron walkway to reach the solid floor of the administration level. The Collective's organization was a little haphazard, as new floors had been magically added to the structure as needed, which made for something of a bricked appearance. A long row of doors lined the entirety of the wall for the third level. To anyone who didn't know better, they led nowhere. But to those who did know, like Nym, each door was a portal to an office located somewhere in the Collective, in some liminal space, probably underground.

He knocked on Lei's door with several sharp raps. A shimmer of arcane energy flexed across the door before it cracked open, inviting him inside. Nym whistled a nonsense tune as he slipped through the doorway and let it shut behind him, closing his eyes against the disorientating sensation of stepping through a portal. It was something he never quite got used to and didn't know how Lei managed it every day.

"I thought you were in the middle of an experiment," Lei said before Nym fully caught his bearings.

"I'm stuck," Nym replied as the world finally stopped spinning, and his vision stopped sparkling silver, and he could see through the spots dancing in the air. "I needed a break. I've been working on it for a week, you know."

Lei's painted lips curled into a grin, though she didn't look up. "That's a record for you, isn't it?"

"Hey!" Nym lifted a stack of boxes from the only available chair and moved them aside so he could flop onto the tattered, but very comfy cushion. "It's not abandoned, it's just set aside for now. Until I get re-inspired."

Lei scribbled something on a piece of parchment and waved her hand over it, a light gust puffing over the damp ink. "I've heard that before." She finally looked up, giving him a warm smile. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"Can't I just want to see my big sister?"

Lei rolled her eyes and braced her elbows on the desk, resting her chin on her laced knuckles. Rings sparkled on her fingers, a glint of gem and the arcane alike. "Of course you can, dear brother, but that's rarely the case." Her smile was somehow both charming and incisive.

It was a family trait, Nym supposed. Their parents had mastered it. Lei learned to echo them. Tus had all but picked it up from birth. Nym was still working on his. His grins tended to angle more toward charming. Though there was no mistaking he and Lei were siblings. They had the same pointed horns, the same tan skin patterned with dapples of white, and the same curly white hair, though Lei preferred to keep hers much shorter.

"Maybe that's the case right now," Nym said.

Lei snorted. "Cut the bullshit. What do you want?"

"You're so smart. I love you." Nym's gaze wandered to the bookshelf behind her shoulders. "I want to borrow a book."

"Of course you do." Lei spun her chair around, elegant fingers with clipped talons dragging across the spines. "I'll bet I can guess which one, too." She pulled out a thick, heavy tome, setting it on the desk in front of her. 

The blue-dyed leather was glossy and the gold embossing of the title seemed to wink at Nym. He knew this book, perhaps too well. He’d lost count of the number of times he’d read it, and he’d memorized passages of it in numerous chunks. 

Lei tapped her fingers over the cover. “_Tales of Cathair Aer_,” she said with a slow, curving grin. “Right?” 

Nym reached for the book, but she deftly slid it out of reach. “You know it is, sis. Can I borrow it? Please?” 

“If this book weren’t so rare, I’d go out and find you a copy.” Lei sighed and pushed it back toward him. 

He snatched it off the desk – though carefully, it was very old, very rare, and very expensive. “I’ve been looking. Trust me.” 

“I’m sure you have.” Lei shifted and shuffled some of the papers on top of her desk. “I enjoy it, too, but I’ll never understand why it fascinates you. For someone as practical and pragmatic as you, it never ceases to amaze me how often your head is in the clouds.” 

Nym ran his fingers over the cover and smiled. “I want to see it someday,” he mused, more to himself, but of course Lei would hear it. “Can you imagine it? A city in the clouds, where science and the arcane blend together so seamlessly. Where great inventions have been made, the likes of which we’ve never even dreamed. What kind of paradise must that be?” 

“Nym, you know Cathair Aer doesn’t exist, don’t you?” 

He shook his head. “Of course it does.” Nym frowned and was more than a little taken aback by the concerned look on his sister’s face. 

Lei chewed on her bottom lip, though her stain remained flawless, and her voice turned soft, gentle, like she was talking to a small child. “It’s a fairae tale. A story. It’s not real.” 

Nym tucked the book against his chest, wrapping his arms around it. “And what are fairae tales but truth made into myth? They’re based on something, Lei. And just because we haven’t seen it, doesn’t mean it’s not there.” 

“If there were really a city in the sky, we’d have found it by now,” Lei insisted. She folded her hands on the desk, her jaw set. “It’s impossible.” 

Nym shook his head and stood, tucking the book into his coat to keep it safe. “Nothing is impossible. We prove that every day in Marbadan.” He squared his shoulders. “And I’ll prove it.” 

“How are you going to do that?” 

Nym’s heart picked up pace, thumping frantically in his chest. “I’ll find it,” he said, and suddenly, it sounded like the most natural thing he could do, something he wanted more than anything he’d ever desired before. “I’ll find it, and I’ll prove it.” 

Lei blinked at him and sat back in her chair. “That’s ridiculous. You’re not leaving Marbadan, I don’t know why you think you are.” 

“I can and I will,” Nym snapped, and blinked, startled at himself. He didn’t raise his voice. It wasn’t a thing he did, and yet, he just had. Loud enough for it to echo around the interior of Lei’s office. 

Lei arched an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

Nym took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. “Yes, it is.” He tossed his head, sweeping some unruly curls from his forehead. “Birthpa told me just this morning to find something to do, and I’ve decided. This is it. I’m going to find Cathair Aer.”

“And when you realize it doesn’t exist?” 

“It does!” 

Lei sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “What am I even worried about?” she asked, flicking a hand to dismiss him. “You’ve never finished a thing in your life.” 

Ouch. 

Accurate, but still, ouch. Just because some experiments bored him or he lost inspiration or he couldn’t make it work. Just because he didn’t graduate from the academy or finish all his homecourses and gave up on that spin class and stopped taking self-defense lessons… 

Lei had a point. 

“This is different,” Nym insisted. 

“Of course it is.” Lei exhaled, long and slow, and the lines in her face edged toward exhaustion. She picked up her quill and unfurled a scroll. “I’ve got work to do, little brother. Take care of my book. I’ll want it back when you’re done.” 

Nym set his jaw. He glared. He debated arguing, making his case, and then he swallowed it down. Lei wasn’t telling him these things to be cruel. She was simply a practical tiefling. She believed in seeing the world as it was, not believing in the things it could be. 

It was startlingly short-sighted of someone who worked in such an academic arcane field. She should have more of a sense of adventure. 

Instead of arguing, Nym managed a tight smile. “Thank you for loaning it to me again. I’ll take good care of it.” 

“I already know you will.” 

He left, a tightness forming in his chest, and anger building in his gut. Not the anger of someone who wanted to scream and yell and do things, but an anger at himself. He’d built a reputation of never finishing a task. He couldn’t blame Lei for her disbelief. 

He wanted to do this. Imagine the things they could learn, the progress they could make, the dreams he could breathe new life into? 

Nym plunged back into the rainy afternoon and barely felt the damp. It was nothing to him, not even a nuisance. He tucked Lei’s book under his coat to keep it dry, and he ran for home, for the Median, a three-pronged, wide street that divided Marbadan into the three districts – the Arcanum, the Scientificum, and the Alchenum. 

Nym had been raised in the outskirts of the Alchenum, and his parents owned a shop that faced the Alchenum. It was a fantastical business that sold oddities which blended the science and the arcane. Trinkets and useful machines and items with spells woven into their construction – all designed by his birthpa and enchanted by his papa. 

Melo’s Mystical Menagerie was a tall, two-story structure painted in a bedazzling array of colors, the name twinkling across the top awning with a thousand cheap, imitation gems. Every once in a while, one of the gems would vanish, some unwitting thief stealing them in an attempt to make some coin. They had a whole box of spares in the back, though not always in the right color, which made for a garish mess. 

Nym loved it. 

He darted through the front door, shaking rain from his shoulders and his hair, bells jingling in his wake. A few browsing patrons looked up, but Birthpa didn’t give him a glance from behind the order counter. 

“Dry yourself off before you get any further, boy,” Birthpa said before he went right back into conversation with a customer, who looked to be hemming and hawing over one of Birthpa’s famous enchanted timekeepers. 

“Yes, sir.” Nym shook his head and traced a few arcane symbols in the air, twisting his wrist to flick a short drying cantrip over his body. It wasn’t nearly as strong as the ones the Collective used, but it would take him from dripping to damp, so he wouldn’t ruin the polished wood floor, or the handwoven tapestry-rugs. Or, more importantly, any of the goods. 

Papa wasn’t anywhere in sight. He was probably in the back, enchanting something new to supplement the stock. He wasn’t really the customer-dealing type. Birthpa was the charm, and Papa was the grease and grit, as Birthpa liked to say. 

Nym past a few displays of cheap toys for kids – basic enchantments like spinning tops and dancing dolls and erasable markers – and slid behind the counter, just as Birthpa thanked their customer and sent him on his way. The half-elf gave Nym a warm smile as he took the carefully wrapped package, and departed. 

“Where’d you run off to?” Birthpa asked as he pulled out the register and recorded the most recent sale and earnings. His tail swished lazily behind him – a sure sign he was pleased. 

“Borrowed a book from Lei.” Nym leaned in and kissed his birthpa on the cheek. “Decided to go on an adventure while I was it.” 

Birthpa chuckled and finally granted him a look, his dark eyes sparkling with affectionate warmth. “Did you now? And what is the idea of the week then?” 

“I’m going to find Cathair Aer,” Nym declared, though quiet enough only Birthpa could hear. He didn’t want any customers inputting their two coppers worth. 

Birthpa blinked. He tilted his head, causing his long, white hair to slide off his shoulders. “The city of myth?” 

“The very one.” Nym nodded once and set his jaw. “I want to do this, Birthpa. I think I can do this. Or at least, I want to try. Don’t you want me to have a goal?” 

“I do, but--” Birthpa’s gaze flicked away as a customer walked up. He greeted them with a smile and a ‘one moment please’ before he grabbed Nym’s hand and squeezed. “Go. We’ll talk about this in a bit, all right? After the shop’s closed.” 

Well, at least he didn’t outright laugh in Nym’s face. 

Nym sighed. “Yes, sir.”

He retreated, leaving Birthpa to work, and headed for the workshop instead. Maybe Papa would have a better reaction? Well, Papa was more practical. He wasn’t the dreamer Birthpa was. 

His reaction would probably be worse. 

Nym altered his trajectory, heading through the back door instead, the one connecting to their home, which was second story much like the shop. He stepped into the lower floor, the main room, where it was dim save for the light peeking through the curtained windows. Nym took the stairs upward, where the bedrooms were, and into his room. He’d shared it with Tus when he was younger, until Lei moved out and Tus took over her room. 

She didn’t like him stealing her kohl and lipstains for scientific pursuits. She didn’t much like science or the arcane, much to their parents’ sadness. No, Tus liked swords and battle and danger. 

His bed was still unmade, like he’d left it this morning, and a plate of crumbs from his breakfast scone still sat on his desk, next to a cold cup of half-finished tea. He’d finished reading his book on the different volatile powders this morning, when the desire to reread an old favorite cropped up, prompting his dash to the Collective. 

It was only an hour ago, maybe two, but he felt so different, so changed, that it seemed like it should have been longer. This room was special to him, it was home, but suddenly it felt stifling, like he would never grow or learn or discover the world, until he actually left the safety of his books and his workroom. 

Nym untucked _Tales of Cathair Aer_ and set it gently on the bed. His fingers traced the embossed letters, and longing nestled warm in his heart. 

Yes, he would do this. 

He knelt and pulled a travel bag from underneath his bed. It was still brand new, bought from one of the shops in the Scientificum. It had been a birthday present two years ago from Tus. Even then, she’d told him he’d need to seek his adventure outside of Marbadan. He’d told her he was happy as he was. 

That had been true. Then. He was happy now. But he felt the lack of his experience. 

Nym brushed the dust off the pack and set it on the bed, next to the book. It came with a small adventurer’s kit to get him started – a flint and starter for a fire, a few torches, some rope and a small aid kit, plus a minor heal potion, for minor injuries. Oh, and a dagger as well, though Nym wasn’t one for using weaponry. 

Daggers were useful for all sorts of things other than stabbing people. 

He would still need other things. Important things. Which meant he would have to pack. 

Nym hummed a little tune to himself as he started to gather important items. A bedroll, a waterskin, a whetstone, various bits and components for his spells. 

It was a dangerous world out there, especially for those who had no experience adventuring. He would have to be very careful. There were thieves and brigands and hungry animals and mean beasties. People would try to take advantage of him, he knew. And well, also, Marbadan was a very progressive city, but not everywhere was welcoming to a tiefling. 

Things were better, but not best, and he would have to be conscious of that. 

He was capable of defending himself. Papa had ensured all of his children were capable of doing so. Still, it was probably best not to leave on his own, at least at first. Marbadan was large and central enough he should be able to find a merchant caravan or a mercenary group to escort him, just for the first leg of the journey. He had enough in his savings to finance such a thing. 

A little bit of preparation went a long way. 

Too bad he tended to forget that idiom when it came to his experiments. 

Nym chuckled and tucked a few practical changes of clothes into the travel bag. He’d chosen the hardier materials, the thicker, warmer pieces for colder climes. Tales of Cathair Aer claimed the city had once been land-bound and located on the Mitteous Plateau. He supposed he would begin his search there. 

Downstairs, a door slammed. “What’s for dinner?”

Nym chuckled. Of course that would be the first thing Tus shouted when she came home. Though lately she’d been sleeping at the barracks more often than not. Nym suspected she had a few playmates to share her bed. 

“Hello? Anyone home?” 

Nym tucked a few pairs of wool socks into the bag, and flipped it shut. He’d finish packing later. He headed downstairs, just as Tus started to stomp up them. 

“Oh. There you are.” Tus frowned at him, wrinkling her nose. “Why didn’t you say something if you were home?” Her horns perched at the crown of her head, twisting like the ring of braids she kept her hair in. 

“Because I’m not half as loud as you are.” Nym chuckled and patted her braids. She tolerated the first pat or two, then ducked away to avoid the others. “Strange to see you home.” He finished descending and Tus clomped loudly after him. She hadn’t taken off her boots, the heathen. 

“Strange to see you not covered in soot and being dragged out of the workshop.” Tus danced past him, tugging on a curl as she did so. “Where’s Papa?” 

“In his workroom, I suspect.” 

“Boo. What’s for dinner?” 

Nym raised his eyebrows. “I could cook if you want.” He popped into the kitchen, giving it a tentative sniff, and his mouth watered when he caught sight of the pot lightly bubbling over smoldering coals. “Oh, nevermind. Papa’s made his famous soup.” 

“At last. A decent meal.” Tus dramatically threw herself into one of the chairs at the table, the back of her hand pressed to her brow. “They torment us with rations, brother dear. They feed us salted meats and dried starches, and I long for a home-cooked meal.”

Nym pulled two cups out of the cabinet and a bottle of wine from the pantry, pouring them each a cup. “Then you should come home more often rather than spend your nights in others’ beds. What was his name again? Her name again?” 

“Oh, who can keep track?” Tus flicked a hand at him, painted fingernails flashing metallic. She happily accepted the cup of wine and drank deeply from it. 

Nym joined her at the table, pulling out a chair of his own. “I envy you, you know,” he said as he cupped his mug, staring into the dark, ruby liquid. 

Tus snorted. “Brother, if you want a date, you need only ask. I know handfuls of hot, single guards who would treat you right.” She winked. 

“I can find my own dates, thank you very much.” 

“Right. Of course you can. Which is why you’ve been on one… oh, never if I recall.” Tus raised her eyebrows over the rim of her mug, her skin the same dappled flow of tan and pale white like his own. “What is it you envy me for?” 

Nym stared harder into his cup. “You’ve never faltered in what you wanted. You’ve always gone after it with single-minded intensity, and you’ve let nothing stop you.” He looked up at his youngest sister. “I’ve never managed that.” 

Tus’ eyes softened, losing some of that hard-edge she’d picked up sometime after hitting puberty. “Oh, Nym. What’s wrong? What happened?” She sat up out of her slouch, reaching for his hand. “You’re too gentle for this world, you know.” 

“Nothing happened,” he said, and took a long sip of his wine, savoring the warmth it flooded through his body. It wasn’t the best the land had to offer, but it was adequate. “I’m just realizing how deeply I am faulted.” 

Tus squeezed his fingers. “We’re all faulted, that’s nothing to be ashamed of. But don’t tell me nothing happened. This didn’t come out of nowhere.” 

He sighed. Tus knew him too well. 

“I want to find the city of Cathair Aer,” he said. 

Tus blinked. “The one from that book you like to read?” 

“Yes.” 

Her brow furrowed. “All right. What’s stopping you?” 

It was Nym’s turn to blink. “I… what?” 

Tus shrugged and took her hand back, bracing one arm over the back of her chair in a redolent slouch. “You want to find it, go do it. What’s stopping you?” 

“Lei says it doesn’t exist. Everyone else thinks it’s a myth,” he said. 

“You think it’s real, right?” Tus took a huge gulp and plunked the empty mug down on the table, wiping the back of it across her mouth. “Who cares what everyone else thinks?” 

Warmth flooded Nym’s cheeks. “You think I can do it?” 

Tus rolled her shoulders. “Why wouldn’t I? You’re a Tattersail, aren’t you? We’re born to be amazing.” She gave him a crooked grin and an imploring look. “Though you’d be ever more amazing if you gave me a fill-up, aye?” She gestured to her mug. 

Nym snorted and got up, retrieving the bottle to refill Tus’ mug. “Only because I love you,” he said, his heart filled with reassurance. 

Tus was absolutely right. He didn’t know why he’d let a few dispiriting comments confuse him. He’d always gone his own path. He’d always let his own interests guide him. People often assumed things didn’t exist until suddenly there was proof that they did. Just because no one living had seen eyes on Cathair Aer, didn’t mean no one could. 

Nym could very be the first. What a great legacy that would be for a Tattersail. 

He splashed more wine into Tus’ cup. “Thank you, sister,” he said. 

Tus grinned and gave him a wink. “Anytime.” 

Their parents wandered in after closing the shop not long after. Birthpa greeted them both with hugs and kisses while Papa barked orders for the table to be set for the evening meal. Only afterward were the hugs doled out by their taller father, the source of their dappled skin. 

“Ame says you have something to tell me,” Papa said once they were sat around the table, steaming bowls of stew set out in front of them, and a loaf of sourdough sliced for their enjoyment. He lifted his dark eyebrows in Nym’s direction. 

“I do,” Nym said. He glanced at his birthpa, who waggled his eyebrows with encouragement, and Tus who winked again, her cheeks stuffed with a huge bite of bread. “I want to leave Marbadan and go on a quest,” he said. “I want to find the floating city of Cathair Aer.” 

Papa blinked. “Oh.” 

“I know it’s just a myth,” Nym rushed to say, because Papa’s tone was not very encouraging. “And I know no one believes in it, but I do.” He glanced at Tus who gave him an encouraging look around a mouthful of stew. “I know you probably think I can’t do it, either, but I want to try. I really do.” 

“Then you should,” Papa said, and then his parents exchanged a look Nym knew all too well. Birthpa smiled and that was a good sign. “If that’s what you want to do, then do it, Nym. We’ll support you.” 

Nym sat up straight in his chair, nearly tipping over his bowl, his gaze skipping from his papa to his birthpa and to his younger sister. “Really?” 

“Of course.” Birthpa reached across the table, and Nym thought it was to take his hand, but no, it was to put something on the cloth in front of his plate. “I’m sorry it didn’t seem so earlier. You took me by surprise is all.” 

Nym picked up the small, oval stone, polished to a shine. He tilted it into the light, and something flashed beneath the surface. It felt warm in his hand, but he didn’t know if it was because Birthpa had been holding it or another reason. Perhaps the latter, as he immediately sensed the magic on it. 

Oh, he knew exactly what this was. 

He looked up at his parents, smiling, heat filling his eyes. “This is a Message Stone,” he said. 

Birthpa held up the matching stone. “And I have the other. Anytime you want to call us, you can. And vice-versa, of course. The world is a dangerous place, Nym. I worry.” 

Nym swallowed thickly to conceal the tears threatening to emerge. 

“Told you,” Tus mouthed at him before wiping crumbs from the corner of her mouth. 

“Thank you,” Nym said, his face filling with heat, and he took a big bite of the stew, relief and encouragement filling him to the brim. “I love you all.”

~

A package arrived before Nym managed to leave, and he almost ignored it because he was already laden with more supplies than he could have expected. His parents had packed him with trinkets and arcane tools and all manner of items to protect and guide him, not to mention a heavy, clinking pouch of coins.

But the package was from Lei, and Nym couldn’t help but grin at the weight of it. 

There was a note attached in Lei's large, looping script, and Nym was patient enough to read it first.

_Dearest brother,_

_I started thinking after you left, and I realized I wasn't as supportive as I should have been. You are right. It's not my place to decide what's worth pursuing or what you believe in. Whatever you want to do, I will support you and believe in you. I've sent along something that will help you on your quest. Please don't leave before saying goodbye._

_Love, Lei._

Nym smiled and folded the letter up, sticking it into an inner pocket. Then he ripped off the brown paper wrapping and twine, revealing a multi-colored woven satchel that gave off a bright, humming aura of magic. A tag hung from one of the straps -- _Carry-All, for every adventuring need_.

Nym's eyes simultaneously widened and watered. It was an enchanted bag, one that would allow him to carry all manner of things, large and small and heavy and light, and yet it would feel to him as if they weighed nothing and would be invisible to the naked eye. They would instead be stored in a pocket dimension. 

It was an incredibly expensive, incredibly useful gift. And knowing how frugal Lei was with her money, it was her way of proving he had her support.

Nym sniffled.

He had the best family in the world.

Birthpa kissed him on the forehead. Papa squeezed him in a bruising hug. Tus socked him on the shoulder and pressed a kiss to his cheek, and then Nym stepped out into Marbadan -- a rainy morning to no one's surprise -- feeling as light and free as a feather. He had no idea where he was going, save to head east, and he'd need a horse or a party to travel with or something.

Spontaneity was the spice of life.

Nym sucked in a deep breath of the warm, damp air, and he moved into the median, joining the afternoon flow of crowds.

It was time to have an adventure.

****

**Author's Note:**

> I welcome any and all feedback. I'm looking to hone my craft as much as possible and these pre-canon fics are definitely here to help me practice the long-form story before I start on it. Thank you for reading!


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